S O L O E X H I B I T I O N

​Dave Barnett"Underneath the Western Skies"May 14 - July 10, 2016​CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Artist’s Statement:​A paraphrased quote from Renoir about Degas says basically that, “Degas was not Degas until he reached the age of fifty.” Well, certainly, after age fifty, Degas’s art did change, arguably for the better. I might boast the same thing, but nothing of it can be proven since I had a long hiatus from my work, resuming it (painting) at age fifty-two. Maugham argues that a writer or artist reaches his or her peak in the mid-thirties. So, who knows if I would have “peaked” at age thirty had I been more deeply involved? Certainly, had I peaked at thirty-five, my efforts now would be pointless. As to knowing when a painting is finished, I know that when if adding one more brush stroke means adding a million more. A retired fellow once said, “It’s hard doing nothing. One never knows when he is caught up.” Obversely, it is true of doing “something”, lots of somethings. Anyway, however it might be, for me the thing is not so much in the finished product as in the process. Gazing at images of one’s children is gratifying. Making children is, too! There is fulfillment in both, but the process is what makes me feel alive.....Dave Barnett​